The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-07-10
4 GIRLS DEVOTION.
A Curious Legend Of Sacrifice as An
Act of FiliaI Love.

The frst story told in a DewlE pub
lished book, entitled Some Chinese
Ghosts" is that of the soul of the great
bell in the Tachungsz' OF the CITY of
Pekin. YoungLo, of the "Illustrious''
or Ming dynasty, commanded the
worthy official, Loan Yu, that he should
have bell made Of such a size that the
sound thereof might be heard for 100 Ii.
And he further ordained that the voice
of the bell should be strengthened with
brass and deepened with gold, and
sweetened with silver, and that the face
ana the great lips OF it should be craven
with blessed sayings from the sacred
| books, and that it should be SUSPENDED
in the center OF the imperial capital, to
sound through all the many colored
ways of the City of Pekin. Tie worthy
mandarin immediately assembled all the
master moulders and renowned bell
smiths OF the empire, and they measured
the materials for the alloy and skillfulIy
prepared the moulds, fires and instru-
meRts. They iabored like giants, toiIed
day and night, but when the metal was
cast it was found that the gold had
scorned alliance with the brass and the
silver would not mingle with the iron.
A second attempt was made, with the
same unfortunate result. Now, when
the son of heaven heard these things he
was very angry, particularly after the
second failure, and he sent his mes
senger to Koan-Yu with aletter written
on lemon colored silk and sealed with !
the seal of the dragon, containing these !
words:
From the Mighty Young-Lo. the
Sublime Tait-SunZ, the Celestial and |
August-whose reign is called Ming
to koan Yu, the Fuhyin: Twice thou
hast betrayed the trust we have de.
signed graeiously to place in thee; if
thou fail a third time in fulfilling our
thy head shall be severed
from thy neck. Tremble and obey!"
Poor kOan-Yu was in q terrible strait.
Bot he had q beautiful and devoted
daughter Ko-Ngal, who, after fainting
away with fear upon reading the awful
) elbow miSsiYe, determined TO do what
She could to save her father She went
to an astrolOger, who examined the
SIGNS CT the ZodiaC-the HwaDgtoa, or
yellow r0ad-and consulted the table OF
The i've Hin, or principle of the uni
verse, and said TO her: ''Goid and brass
VIII never meet in wedlock, silver and
ron will never embrace till the flesh of
maiden be melted in the crucible, till
the blood OF virgin be mixed with the
metals IN their fusion" So Ko-NgaI re
turned home sorrowful at heart, but
Kept her secret from everybody. Atl
last came the direful day when the final
casting was to De made Ko NgeI and i
aer waiting woman went 70 the foundry
with her father, and they took tier
places upon d platform overlooking the
.ollng OF the mOIders. There was no
,ound but the muttering of the fires.
The blood-red lake of metal slowly l
ike the vsrmiIion of a sun
Ise' ana the vermIllion changed to the
'loW OF gold, ana the gold to binding
vhlte. The metal was now ready. Koan-
[ prepared 70 give the signal TO cast;
ut ere he lifted his finger a CRY rang 6
nough the place. It was the voice OF :
Ao-Ngal, sweet as a bird song above y
ne thunder of the fires She said .For 8
ny sake, ., my father y and ieaped into
ne white flood OF metal. The serving
7oman put forth her hands, out gos G
My tiny shoe embroidered With
earls and flowers. KoGn- va was wild !
nth grief and had to be led away. The o
astlng was made. and Ioi when the =